MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KRON) – The Mountain View City Council has approved more than $1 million in funding for the guaranteed basic income pilot program.
Elevate MV will begin this summer to help the most vulnerable residents facing financial challenges in Mountain View.
The program will:
- Aid extremely low-income Mountain View families and custodial caregivers with at least one child under the age of 18. Income eligibility would be set at 30% Area Median Income (AMI).
- Restrict eligibility to Mountain View residents without regard to immigration documentation and/or housing status.
- Provide participants $500 a month from 12 to 24 months ($6,000 per year), serving approximately 166 families.
“Mountain View is taking bold steps to address income inequality and pervasive poverty through Elevate MV,” said Mayor Lucas Ramirez. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the income divide across America. The City’s guaranteed basic income pilot program will show us what a monthly cash payment of $500 to qualifying families can do to improve the well-being of struggling residents and benefit the community as a whole.”
Applications for the program will start being expected in May or June online — It is available in multiple languages.
More than 160 applicants will be randomly selected to receive cash payments following a verification process.
The city has partnered with the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills to administer the monthly payments of $500 over a one to two-year period.
Right now, it will run for a year but with a second year to be considered.
No-cost, one-on-one technical assistance will be provided from the city in this program.
For updates on Elevate MV including when applications are being accepted for the pilot program, visit MountainView.gov/ElevateMV.